


If You Can't Take the Heat

by sunnynights



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Cooking, Developing Relationship, F/M, M/M, Sibling Love, Teamwork makes the dream work, Will update tags, everyone is queer but barry, im so bad at tags guys, money problems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:35:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23634694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnynights/pseuds/sunnynights
Summary: This restaurant has been Taako’s dream for as long as he can remember. But about a million things stand between him and keeping the doors of Sizzle It open for another day.-just a 7 birds modern restaurant au about falling in love and following your heart-
Relationships: Barry Bluejeans/Lup, Julia Burnsides/Magnus Burnsides, Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone), Lup & Taako (The Adventure Zone), Sazed/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

There were countless things that Taako was vain about. His hair, for one: pinned up underneath his chef's hat was a luxuriant blond braid that came down to his waist. His perfect skin, tan with a dusting of freckles. His upturned nose, his pristine makeup, his fashion sense. None of it compared to the pride he took in his cooking. Every grain of rice he spooned onto the plate was a part of him, a representation of how far he had come and how much he was capable of. Lup slid in beside him, wielding a skillet. She laid tonight's special, thirty garlic clove chicken, atop the bed of rice as Taako arranged the roasted vegetables around it. This was how they always cooked, a seamless dance they both knew by heart. Lup finished the dish with a sprinkle of parsley and looked to her brother for approval before sliding it through the window.

"Smells great," Magnus grinned as he took the plate to the waiting table. He said that every time, and he always meant it.

Owning a restaurant had been Taako's dream since he was a child. If he thought hard enough, pushing aside all the tough times and bad memories, he could see himself and Lup making a mess of a rustic kitchen as their aunt taught them how to cook. That small seed of joy grew into an overwhelming need for other people to taste the pride that went into each bite. Sizzle It was as close to upscale as a small bistro located between Leon's Electronics and The Rockport Novelty Trains Emporium could be. That is to say, it wasn’t much. But to Taako, it was everything.

Of course, he couldn't have done it without his employees. Lucretia, with her elegance and professionalism, made the perfect hostess. Magnus waited tables with a rustic hospitality that could pull tips from anyone’s pockets. No one prepped ingredients like Davenport, the grizzled navy captain turned quiet line cook. Merle took long smoke breaks and always came back smelling suspiciously of “medicinal herbs” but he was probably the fastest dishwasher in Neverwinter. Taako and Lup obviously worked like they were an extension of the same soul, and their food showed it. The whole restaurant was a well-oiled machine.

Lucretia checked her watch and jumped out from behind her wooden stand to flip the sign on the door. “That’s the night!” she called out as she grabbed a broom and began sweeping up.

“Pretty good Friday,” Magnus added as he sprayed the tables and wiped them down.

Taako carried various pots and pans to the sink and joined Davenport and Merle in washing them. “We can always do better. Lucretia needs to smile more. Davenport, you’re not chopping uniformly enough. And Lup, I love you, but those last few chicken entrees looked a little dry.”

Lup pulled off her chef’s hat, freeing the red-dyed ends of her wavy bob, and rolled her eyes. “Wow, thanks. Was there anything we got right?”

He flicked soapy water at her. “I’m just trying to make us perfect. We should be getting twice as many customers as we are right now." _If we want to keep this place open,_ Taako thought but left unsaid. "If you can’t take the heat,”

“Get out of the kitchen,” the whole crew groaned.

Taako grinned. He had treated this mantra so many times that everyone knew it. They were capable of taking the heat, they just had to prove it.

“Well, I think my chicken was perfect,” Lup mumbled as she scrubbed at the countertops. “Five stars from The Hunger, guaranteed.”

John Scorn, better known as The Hunger, was an infamously brutal food critic for the Neverwinter Times. A good review from him could put a restaurant’s popularity through the roof, a bad review would send it six feet underground. But right now, Sizzle It wasn’t even on his radar.

Taako turned the key, closing the restaurant for the night. Magnus gunned the engine of his run-down pickup truck, N03113, and turned up the music. Lup, Lucretia, and Taako jumped in and headed to the tumbledown apartment they called home. As Magnus parked and they made their way to the stairwell, Taako hung back.

“I’m gonna check the mail real quick,” he said, waving them off. He turned around and dropped his smile, walked as slowly as he could to the mailboxes. Reaching in had all the dread of sticking a hand into the waiting mouth of a snake. Taako rifled through the envelopes, stopping on the one he knew would be there. The broken light post overhead shined dimly on the bright red letters:

SECOND NOTICE OF LATE MORTGAGE PAYMENT

Taako sighed and stuffed it in his shirt, where it weighed down on his heart like a brick. This restaurant was everything to him and he knew that he had what it took to succeed, but that didn’t change the fact that he was running out of money and time to prove it. They had all put so much into Sizzle It. Taako waited tables for years to open its doors. Lup dropped out of college to help him follow his dreams. Lucretia and Magnus, they worked there since day one, they needed this job. How was Taako supposed to tell them how dangerously close he was to losing it all?

He wiped the despair from his face and strode up the stairs, opening the door to the apartment. His friends sat around the table with their drinks of choice: Lup’s whiskey and Diet Coke, Lucretia’s glass of wine, and Magnus’s multiple cans of cheap beer.

“What the fuck took you so long?” Lup slurred with a laugh. “Did you get lost on your way up?”

Taako shook his head. “How are you buzzed already?“

Lup flipped him off. “It’s Friday night, bitch!”

Magnus got up suddenly, knocking the empty cans to the floor. “Julia’s calling, night guys.” He held his phone like it was priceless and ran for his room.

“I think I’m going to bed as well,” Lucretia said, draining her glass. She patted Lup on the shoulder and bid them goodnight.

“Everyone suckkkks,” Lup groaned. She held out her hand. “Give me your phone.”

“Why?”

“I’m out of Tinder swipes.”

“I don’t even have Tinder,” But Taako obliged. He sat down at the table and finished his sister’s drink as he watched her fumble and scroll. “I love you, Lup.”

She tossed her hair. “I know. Can I call Pringles?”

“Why are we calling my roommate from like, five years ago?”

“Because he was _fun_. Ugh, we haven’t gone to a party in _so_ long. Wait, what the fuck?” Lup squinted, trying to get her eyes to focus on the phone. She turned it and shoved it into Taako’s face. “Why do you still have Sazed’s number?”

“Give me that.” Taako snatched his phone back and shoved it in his pocket.

Lup gave him a sobered frown. “Taako, I’m serious."

“Why does it matter?”

“You can’t get back together with him.”

There was a lot on Taako's plate already, the last person he needed to think about was _him._ “I’m the one that broke up with him. And I fired him. I think I can take care of myself.” He stood up. “Goodnight, Lup,” he tossed over his shoulder as he headed to his room. 

Taako shut the door and sprawled onto his mattress. He pulled the envelope from his shirt and shoved it into a drawer, slamming it shut. _One day at a time._ He covered his face with his hands and exhaled deeply, forcing his mind to succumb to a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> everything I know about restaurants is from watching Kitchen Nightmares and Ratatouille, please don't come for me


	2. Chapter 2

Lup took a deep breath, letting the strong fragrance of fresh coffee wash over her. She brought her mug to the fridge, opening it and letting out an exasperated sigh. "MAGNUS!"

Magnus walked into the kitchen in his boxers. "What?" he yawned, scratching his back.

Lup waved the empty milk jug.

"Oh yeah, I made cereal."

"Why would you put it back in the fridge if it's empty?"

"Uh, so I would remember to go to buy more."

"That makes no goddamn sense."

"How does that not make sense? I see the empty jug and then I know that we're out of milk." Magnus turned to Lucretia. "Help me out here."

Lucretia didn't look up from her laptop screen. "It takes ten seconds to make a grocery list," she responded, scribbling on a notepad with one hand and holding it out as she typed with the other.

Taako stepped out of his room, pulling his hair into a messy bun. "Lup, did you borrow my heat protectant spray?"

Lup sipped her black coffee and made a face. "It was empty, I threw it away."

"How am I supposed to remember to buy more if the can is gone?"

"THANK YOU!" Magnus shouted. Lucretia rolled her eyes and silently added it to the list.

Lup set down the mug, searching her brother's face for any signs of bitterness. "Can we talk?"

Taako blinked. “Sure.”

They went into Taako's room. Lup closed the door lightly and leaned against the wall. "I'm sorry for bringing up Sazed last night."

"You don't have to apologize for that." Taako shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his sweatpants. "It's almost been a month, I need to get over it."

"He hurt you. That's not something you just get over."

He sighed. "I know."

"I want to help you, but sometimes I forget to let you work through it at your own pace."

Taako pulled out his phone and, with a few taps, deleted Sazed's number. He flipped the phone to show Lup. "Thanks for always looking out for me. I don't really want to talk about this anymore."

Lup beamed. "I know something that'll help. After you went to bed, I made a job posting online."

Taako frowned. "For what?"

"For another waiter, obviously. Magnus is great but we need more than one. I already got a response, he's coming in for an interview later today."

Taako opened his mouth to say something. But he saw how badly Lup wanted to do something for him, how badly she wanted to fill the hole that Sazed left, and just smiled. "That's great," he tried to say convincingly as he pulled her into a tight hug.

——————————————————

The door to Sizzle It opened slightly, and a round face with rectangular wireframe glasses peeked in.

"Hi, I'm here to interview for the server position?"

Lup looked up. "Sildar Hallwinter?"

He opened the door wider. "Um, yes, but I go by Barry."

Lup looked him over as he stepped in. The buttons on his blazer pulled slightly over his white polo shirt. Below them was the brightest, bluest pair of jeans she had ever seen.

"Nice pants," she deadpanned.

"They're, uh, they're my lucky jeans." His cheeks flamed as he pulled out a chair. "I'm sorry, that's insane, I don't have lucky jeans. I don't know why I lied. I just taught a lab and didn't have time to change."

Lup grinned. "You're doing _great_ already, Barry Bluejeans." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Lup. Sous chef, kitchen manager, coolest person here. Which," She glanced around as she shook Barry's clammy hand. "Is kind of a low bar right now."

"Is it always so empty?"

"Well, our hostess has a doctor's appointment. My brother, the owner, is at the grocery store with the other waiter. We have another cook, but he's part-time and doesn't work today. And our dishwasher is smoking weed in the alley. But in terms of customers, it's always pretty slow." She paused. "This isn't a great look for us. Wanna work here?"

Barry opened a leather portfolio and pulled out a crisp resume. He held it out, and Lup pushed it back towards him.

"I don't want to see that. This job is all about talking to people, charming them, making it feel like an experience. I get the feeling that you're not great at that."

Barry tried to still his bouncing leg. "I AM good at talking to people. You're just making me nervous."

She cocked her head. "How am I making you nervous?"

"You're just really..." _don't say pretty, don't say pretty, don't say pretty_ "Tall?" He watched as Lup deflated a little, and hurriedly backpedaled. "No wait, that's not...There's nothing wrong with being tall, tall girls are cute! Not that my opinion is relevant to your value as a person, no one cares what I think, you're cool and funny, wow this is really bad holy shit," He stood up, completely flustered and ready to bolt out of the restaurant.

Lup sat there in silence, bathing in Barry's embarrassment, and burst into laughter. This went on for several seconds until she finally wiped her eyes and composed herself. "Oh my gods, you are adorable. Sit your ass down, I'm gonna make a waiter out of you." He did as she said, glasses on the table as he covered his face with his hands. She slid the resume in front of her and scanned it. "Wow," She lifted a brow. "You go to the IPRE?"

The Institute of Physiological Research and Exploration was the most prestigious college for the biological and medical sciences in Faerun. Only the best of the best got in, and countless graduates of the IPRE thank their educational experiences for leading their life-changing discoveries. Barry smiled, cleaning his glasses on his shirt.

"Yeah, I'm a grad student. Biophysics."

"I was a biology major with a physics minor when I went to Neverwinter University!"

"I've heard really good things about their bio department. Are you interested in getting your master's?"

"I didn't even finish my bachelor's. Maybe one day," she sighed. She turned back to the resume, running down the bullet points. "You're a teaching assistant, that's good, means you do know how to talk. You work in a lab?" Her eyes flitted up. "What're you researching?"

"Regenerative rehabilitation. For stem cells." Barry flushed again at how Lup looked at him. She seemed genuinely interested, waiting for him to say more. "We, uh, apply physical and electrical stimuli to the cells. Mechanotransduction occurs in response to the stimuli and alters gene expression. Rando and Ambrosio made the first steps in this process, we're just expanding on what they're found."

"Are the signals transduced through the membrane?"

"There are mechanosensitive proteins in the cell membrane, but it's actually cytoskeleton that's mechanotransductive."

"So you're tricking stem cells into occupying a physical niche through in vivo stimulation."

"We're trying ex vivo stimulation as well. We're hoping that some time in a bioreactor before transplantation into tissue will help them take better."

Lup sat back in her seat. "That's incredible." She looked over him intently. "And you didn't sound nervous at all." She grinned as she heard the door open. "Let's see if you can remember specials like you remember nerd shit."

Barry turned. A tall, muscular lady had her arm around a much smaller woman in a blue-grey dress. Behind them, a mopey-looking man seemed to be complaining about something to a man with curly hair and a goatee, who took a long draw from his flask. They all waved excitedly, and Barry faced Lup with wide eyes.

"You're putting me to work already?"

Lup winked. "Sink or swim, Barold. You'll be fine, they're friends."

"You on a date?" the larger woman called out, laughing as her friend smacked her on the arm.

"New hire. Be gentle, it's his first time." Lup pointed them out to Barry. "That's Killian, that's her girlfriend Carey. On that side are Johann and Avi. Avi, I said no outside drinks."

Avi sighed and screwed the cap back onto his flask before sliding it into his jacket. Lup stood up and patted Barry on the shoulder.

"The specials are grilled branzino fillet and mushroom stuffed ravioli. Soup of the day is french onion. Good luck!"

Barry watched her race to the kitchen, poorly suppressing giggles, and sighed. It was one thing to make a fool of himself, it was another thing to make a fool of himself in an interview with a literal walking goddess. But he had gotten the job, maybe? That meant extra money that he desperately needed. And a reason to see Lup again. Barry flipped over his resume and clicked his pen as he approached the table, trying to channel her confidence.

"Hi, welcome to Sizzle It! My name is Barry and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with anything to drink?"

"You're doing great!" Carey stage whispered as she gave him a thumbs up. "I'll have water with ice and lemon."

Barry dutifully wrote it down and looked to Johann.

"Warm water with lemon."

Avi pulled out his flask again. "Water with ice, no lemon."

Barry looked up from his furious scribbling. "You guys are messing with me, aren't you?"

Killian pretended to innocently inspect the menu. "It's a test. Guy that was here before you was a total dick." She flashed him a grin. "Water with lemon, no ice. And we're sharing appetizers on separate checks."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~nerd foreplay~
> 
> Here's the actual study Barry references, in MLA fuckin format because I'll be damned if I don't cite my sources (and also it's really interesting)
> 
> Rando, Thomas A, and Fabrisia Ambrosio. “Regenerative Rehabilitation: Applied Biophysics Meets Stem Cell Therapeutics.”  
> Cell stem cell vol. 22,3 (2018): 306-309. doi:10.1016/j.stem.2018.02.003
> 
> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5931336/


	3. Chapter 3

Taako leaned on the handle of the shopping cart, his phone at his ear. "Hey,"

"Are you still at the store?" came Lup's voice.

"Yeah, I'm about to check out." 

"Can you pick up some wine?"

"For drinking or cooking?"

"Drinking."

Taako held the phone with his shoulder as he lifted the cheapest box of wine into the cart. "How was the interview?" he asked as he made his way to the long line beside the register.

There was a long pause. "He, uh, he has really good energy. I think I'm going to hire him, he would make a great addition to the staff."

"Without interviewing anyone else?"

"I figured, why let a good thing go?"

 _Because we can't afford to hire anyone._ "I just want to make sure there are no ulterior motives."

"I know the rule, o ye of little faith," she huffed. "No dating coworkers. But..."

"Sorry, Magnus is calling. We'll be at the restaurant in a bit."

"See ya."

Taako hung up and switched to the other call. "What?"

" _That's_ how you answer the phone?"

"Sorry, let me try again." He raised his voice an octave higher. "hELLOO darling! Fan me with your sweet words,"

The cashier cleared his throat, motioning for Taako to move up. Magnus cackled into Taako's ear as he lined the contents of his cart up to check out.

"I just wanted to know if you were done yet."

"Almost. This place is packed today."

"Alright, I went and filled up the tank so I'll be waiting outside."

"Why the hell couldn't you just text me that?" Taako griped, swiping his debit card.

"Maybe I wanted to hear your sweet words. Wait, I'll video call so I can see you being a dick."

"Keep that between you and Julia." Taako ended the call before Magnus could snarkily respond.

"Uh, sir? Your card got declined."

Taako stared blankly at the cashier. "That doesn't...can you try again?"

The cashier sighed and let Taako swipe once more. He looked up with an impossibly tired gaze and shook his head. "Would you like to use a different card?"

Taako felt his face growing red hot. He fumbled with his wallet, pawing through the coins and crumpled bills and coupons under too-bright fluorescent light. He must have left his credit card at home, and he wasn't carrying much cash on him. It was like the whole store was watching him, mocking him. _Poor orphan, penniless trash, no one would ever_

"I'll pay for him."

Taako spun on his heels. The man behind him was statuesque, with dark skin and neat ropes of black hair pinned back. He stood tall in a tailored suit that screamed money. _Holy shit this is the hottest man I have ever laid eyes on, and I am in sweatpants getting my card declined_ "You don't have to," Taako squeaked out.

He smiled warmly and put his hand up. "Please, I insist."

Taako stepped aside as the man checked out both of their groceries, too stunned to react. Finally, his pride got the better of him.

"Let me repay you."

"You don't need to do that."

"I can send you the money. Or I can write a check!" 

He opened up an expensive-looking wallet of simple but rich leather. "Well, I'd refuse to take it." 

Taako scanned the contents of the man's cart. It was filled high with chips, bottled smoothies, and microwave dinners. "I can cook for you."

"Are you any good?"

Taako grinned. "Better than frozen. I'm a chef."

He cocked his head, thinking for a second as he waited for his receipt. "Alright," He pushed Taako his cart and handed him a glossy black business card:

Kravitz Reaper, C.P.A.  
Partner  
Lifetime Limited

The cashier cleared his throat again, this time even louder. Taako looked around, realizing they were holding up the line and slid the card into his pocket. "Thank you so much, Kravitz. I'm Taako, by the way."

"Nice meeting you, Taako. Text me sometime."

Taako hurried out of the store, nearly ramming the cart into a waiting Magnus.

"Fuck, watch where you're going! If this is about earlier, I..."

"Shut up and load up the car." Taako practically leaped into the passenger side of the truck, his heart unusually fluttery. He pulled the business card out again, just to run his finger over the name, and smiled the whole ride back to the apartment.

——————————————————

That night, Taako raced to his room after work and shut the door. He lifted the card laid carefully in his drawer and sent a message to the number on it, holding his breath as he waited for the reply.

hey it's taako  
from the store today  
sorry it's kinda late  
when do you want that dinner?

_Hi Taako  
How's Monday night?_

im free on monday

_It's a date, then._


End file.
